Thursday, June 30, 2011
How to Ski Squaw Like a LocalWatch G.N.A.R. The MovieStart Early. Ski the Eagle?s NestEat a WildFlour CookieSki the FingersSki the PalisadesApr�s at Le Chamois
Squaw is revered for it?s steep terrain, local vibe, and quality skiers. But there are rules to follow if you want to fit in. Here?s our guide to skiing Squaw like you?re a local.
UK strike slows down ports and airports
Filed under: Activism, Europe, United Kingdom, Transportation, Airports, NewsUK airports and ports are experiencing delays as many customs and immigration officials are on a one-day strike.
The UK Border Agency is one of several UK public sector unions on strike over plans to change pensions, a move they say will have employees working longer, paying more into the system, and getting less out of it when they retire.
Some Border Agency workers started early, at 6pm yesterday, and most airports and ports are reporting some delays. These delays aren't as bad as were expected, however, because qualified managers have stepped in to fulfill the absent workers' duties and not all workers are on strike. Still, if you're flying into the UK today, don't expect to be relaxing in your hotel an hour after you land.
Passengers leaving the UK will not be affected because they don't go through customs. Airport security workers are not on strike.
Other government facilities such as schools, courts, and offices are also closed or giving limited service.
[Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons]UK strike slows down ports and airports originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The UK Border Agency is one of several UK public sector unions on strike over plans to change pensions, a move they say will have employees working longer, paying more into the system, and getting less out of it when they retire.
Some Border Agency workers started early, at 6pm yesterday, and most airports and ports are reporting some delays. These delays aren't as bad as were expected, however, because qualified managers have stepped in to fulfill the absent workers' duties and not all workers are on strike. Still, if you're flying into the UK today, don't expect to be relaxing in your hotel an hour after you land.
Passengers leaving the UK will not be affected because they don't go through customs. Airport security workers are not on strike.
Other government facilities such as schools, courts, and offices are also closed or giving limited service.
[Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons]UK strike slows down ports and airports originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Skiing on the Summer Solstice
From InspiredMediaTV:"Utah has had one of the most incredible seasons in history and it's not over just yet. We've been riding for 10 consecutive months and it might be soon time to hang up the boards for the summer, but not because of a lack of snow thats for sure. On the summer solstice Neil and I made a trip to the High Uinta Wilderness to ride off some of the highest peaks in the state. The Uintas have the most alpine terrain in the lower 48, the skiing is vast and seemingly untapped. Neil and I learned everything we know about backcountry riding and camping in these mountains, and it feels awesome to continue to explore our backyard and push further into new, unexplored terrain." ?Ian Provo
The Radar: 10 Thrilling Airports, Iceberg Diving in Newfoundland, How to Travel With Friends
Always on the lookout for exciting new travel destinations? As the saying goes, often what?s more rewarding is the journey itself?in this case, the flight.� From the low-flying, almost beach-combing landings in St. Maarten to the high-altitude (6,588 ft.) Courchevel Airport in the French Alps, read on to hear more on the world?s 10 Most…
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London walks: an illustrated guide
The best way to see London is on foot, says the author and illustrator Badaude of her new quirky guide to some of the capital's most fascinating neighbourhoodsBadaude
The Radar: Beijing by Bike, D.C. for the Family, Cut-Rate Stays in University Dorms
Take in the sights, smells, and sounds of the bustling streets of Beijing the traditional way?by bicycle. The traffic may be wild, but you’ll find plenty of bike lanes, few hills, and sights to see. Here are some bike tips and places to stop in the city. [BBC] Offering the ideal mix of fun activities,…
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60 Minutes: Homelessness skyrocketing among American kids [VIDEO]
Close to 25% of American children are now growing up in poverty.
Food festival guide 2011
Our guide to 2011's best food festivals in Britain and IrelandTony NaylorRick Peters
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sled Dogs
Recently the dog sled sport and tourism activity has been under a lot of scrutiny. At present there is no law enforcement who inspect, license or regulate companies that offer sled rides (although several organizations recommend food, water, exercise and kennel size standards). Many operators are pushing for new legislation that enforce an industry standard.So are there reputable dog sled companies out there? Should the industry be banned? What type of conditions are sled dogs kept in? Are the animals healthy and happy? Do they enjoy their work? With my nine year-old niece in tow, I set out to Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains to discover more about dog sledding operations. Dog sledding was a popular activity at this historic hotel until the 1940s when the U.S. government confiscated the dogs to help with the war effort. And it wasn't until last year – almost seventy years later – that the sport returned to the Pocono Mountains through a contracted Colorado-based company, Snow Caps Sled Dogs.We arrived at the property on a thirty-degree morning in February. Owner Jared O'Neill greeted us, presented waiver forms, and introduced us immediately to the dogs. There are twenty-four pure-bred Siberian huskies on site at this Pennsylvania-based location, and all of them were transported from Breckenridge at the restart of the Skytop Lodge program.Classified as a member of the Working Group by the American Kennel Club, the Siberian husky has a desire and willingness to work. It's believed that huskies originated from within the Chukchi Tribe off of Siberia. These dogs have a soft, silky undercoat and coarse top layer of fur. "Huskies can withstand temps to sixty, seventy below – really that extreme," Jared told me. "But like any dog, they're going to adapt to their surroundings. If I brought them inside too much, their coats would thin out – they would adapt to being in a warmer climate. Then it wouldn't be fair to have them out in the cold. The reason that they're so well-suited for this is because they live outside, and Mother Nature prepares them for whatever season is around the bend."A high-energy animal that requires stimulating daily activity, huskies have been historically linked to the dog sledding sport. "This is a dog that really needs exercise," owner Jared said as he prepared the sled for our ride. "That's why these guys are in shelters all the time... people get them and then don't run them. Huskies are easily bored because they're so intelligent... they're notorious for chewing up the house. Here's a dog that you can't just put in the backyard to tucker himself out... you literally have to put them in a harness and have them pull you in a bicycle for five miles. That's the proper way to own this type of dog."According to Jared, their AKC-registered huskies have diverse bloodlines. "When we breed, it's always about the health and brains of the dog," Jared said. Even at quick glance, it was obvious these huskies weren't bred for show-quality characteristics, as several had bi-color eyes and one displayed floppy ears...The male and female huskies at this facility live in outdoor separate, fenced areas, as most of them are intact. In each enclosure, the dogs have their own roofed house filled layered straw bedding. The dogs were chained to a center pole secured just in front of their house. This pole had a rotating top, allowing the dog to move in all directions without entangling its chain. All the huskies seemed healthy. Their eyes were clear, coats were shiny. They were full of energy and personality. Jared told us that a veterinarian examined them just two days before. Perhaps most of all, the dogs adored people – so much so, in fact, that they licked my niece's face and cuddled into our open arms...When conversation turned to the Whistler event, Jared commented that "it's truly unfortunate that kennels out there would do such a horrific thing. The best thing for our guests to do is to come out and see how we operate because the health and happiness of our dogs is our number one priority. Just one tragic incident shouldn't taint all the quality businesses out there – we are raising pet-quality dogs. They retire and become house pets. We would never think of destroying one of our own kids."Retired Snow Caps dogs, according to Jared, are always adopted by the public. Period. "We make sure they're friendly, socialized. We train them with positive reinforcement, and they learn to love their work and love people. At around eight to ten years of age they retire," explained Jared. If a dog is not adopted, for whatever reason (which has yet to happen in Jared's experience), he said that he'd take ownership of the animal himself. When a husky is up for adoption, Snow Caps sets up a meeting with the potential owner to determine if the dog and individual are a good match. There is no adoption fee, but owners are required to return adopted huskies to Snow Caps if they need to relinquish the animal at any time.
As Jared determined the six dogs to join our sled team, the facility became alive with barking and howling, as if raising their voices to volunteer. The dogs are rotated on runs, and only a few display the Alpha leadership required to properly guide a team from the front. The chosen animals, harnessed two-by-two – Diesel and Simba in the lead, followed by brothers Gimlei and Sherpa, and then Mongo and Sumo – were anxious to get moving down the trail.Unlike some other companies, Snow Caps allows guests to drive the sled dogs yourself. Dog sledding involves lots of balancing and, at times, breaking. While I had anticipated calling out "Mush!" to the team, the huskies in fact follow other commands: hike (go), haw (left) and gee (right). "These are all commands used for draft animals – this dates back to the Gold Rush," Jared explained. I found my equilibrium on the sled, just as excited as the huskies to get started. I was unsure how fast they would run and relied on my balance beam experience as a youngster to keep me steady while on the move. Even with both feet planted firmly on the brake, the dogs were collectively strong enough to drag me an inch or two while we waited for our command.The snowmobile in front of us roared to life, and Jared called out "HIKE!". Each husky broke into a run, and I felt an immediate inclusion in the pack mentality.As they ran and hugged the curves, slopes and straightaways of the trail, I bent at the knees, shifting my weight with theirs, tightly grasping the sled's worn wood handles to avoid tumbling off...These particular dogs seemed to love their work. As a dog lover and owner of two adopted pooches myself, I kept thinking how much my Shepherd/Lab/Rottweiler cross would enjoy pulling a dog sled. After a few short-distance runs rotating between myself and my niece as musher, the huskies were given a break to rehydrate and rest. In total, the sled dogs ran about three miles during our ride. When we returned to the main base, the dogs were given about 2 cups of high-carb broth and beef soup, which they happily slopped up. Learn more about the Siberian husky and the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. And check out this amazing photo of a Husky in Iceland. You can also go visit these dogs and Snow Caps Sled Dogs at Skytop Resort. Photo Credits: Jodi Kendall, Royce RazgaitisVideo Credits: Jodi Kendall, Royce Razgaitis
Aston Hotels & Resorts
It?s the Hawaii Vacation Deal You?ve Been Waiting For:?50 Days of Aloha? Rates are Back at Aston Hotels & Resorts
Summer is here, but Aston Hotels & Resorts already has an eye on fall travel to Hawaii. Aston is offering the season?s lowest rates to those who plan their travel early. Aston?s ?50 Days of Aloha? offers the lowest rates of the year at participating properties for travel between Aug. 1 and Dec. 21. Book from July 11 through Aug. 29. You?ll never see 2011 rates this low again.
Oahu: Rates from $84 per night (Hotel Room Interior, Aston Waikiki BeachsideHotel)Maui: Rates from $89 per night (Hotel Room Standard Garden View, Aston MauiLu)Big Island: Rates from $159 per night (One Bedroom Ocean View Suite, Aston Kona by the Sea)Kauai: Rates from $79 per night (Hotel Room Garden View, Aston Aloha BeachHotel)
In the Hawaiian Islands, fall is a time of celebration. From September through October, Aloha Festivals are celebrated on every island with FREE family-friendly parades, music, and dancing. Surf challenges, triathlons, cultural festivals and Bon dances are the reason for the season to join in or cheer with the crowd.
?50 Days of Aloha? may not be combined with other programs, specials or discounts. Prices do not include tax and are subject to change without notice. Travel period dates may vary by property. Blackout dates and additional restrictions may apply. Rates are subject to availability and are nonrefundable. Full payment is due at the time of booking. Visit AstonHotels.com/50days for more information.
Hawaii guests can also enjoy discounts and savings from the exclusive Aston Aloha Book provided free at check-in. The Aloha Book contains offers worth more than $2,500 in savings on dining, shopping and activities and serves as a guide to some of the best culture, history, cuisine, and attractions in Hawaii.
Aston?s year-round ?Kids Stay, Play & Eat FREE? program means children17 years and younger stay free when using existing bedding and children 12 years and younger receive free admission at top island attractions and free meals at popular family-friendly restaurants when accompanied by a paying adult. Unlike other hotel promotions that encourage kids to play and eat free within the resort, this program allows families to experience a variety of the island?s activities and dining options.
Terms & Conditions:Prices do not include tax and are subject to change without notice. Travel period dates may vary by property. Blackout dates and additional restrictions may apply. Rates are subject to availability and are nonrefundable. Full payment is due at the time of booking.
Summer is here, but Aston Hotels & Resorts already has an eye on fall travel to Hawaii. Aston is offering the season?s lowest rates to those who plan their travel early. Aston?s ?50 Days of Aloha? offers the lowest rates of the year at participating properties for travel between Aug. 1 and Dec. 21. Book from July 11 through Aug. 29. You?ll never see 2011 rates this low again.
Oahu: Rates from $84 per night (Hotel Room Interior, Aston Waikiki BeachsideHotel)Maui: Rates from $89 per night (Hotel Room Standard Garden View, Aston MauiLu)Big Island: Rates from $159 per night (One Bedroom Ocean View Suite, Aston Kona by the Sea)Kauai: Rates from $79 per night (Hotel Room Garden View, Aston Aloha BeachHotel)
In the Hawaiian Islands, fall is a time of celebration. From September through October, Aloha Festivals are celebrated on every island with FREE family-friendly parades, music, and dancing. Surf challenges, triathlons, cultural festivals and Bon dances are the reason for the season to join in or cheer with the crowd.
?50 Days of Aloha? may not be combined with other programs, specials or discounts. Prices do not include tax and are subject to change without notice. Travel period dates may vary by property. Blackout dates and additional restrictions may apply. Rates are subject to availability and are nonrefundable. Full payment is due at the time of booking. Visit AstonHotels.com/50days for more information.
Hawaii guests can also enjoy discounts and savings from the exclusive Aston Aloha Book provided free at check-in. The Aloha Book contains offers worth more than $2,500 in savings on dining, shopping and activities and serves as a guide to some of the best culture, history, cuisine, and attractions in Hawaii.
Aston?s year-round ?Kids Stay, Play & Eat FREE? program means children17 years and younger stay free when using existing bedding and children 12 years and younger receive free admission at top island attractions and free meals at popular family-friendly restaurants when accompanied by a paying adult. Unlike other hotel promotions that encourage kids to play and eat free within the resort, this program allows families to experience a variety of the island?s activities and dining options.
Terms & Conditions:Prices do not include tax and are subject to change without notice. Travel period dates may vary by property. Blackout dates and additional restrictions may apply. Rates are subject to availability and are nonrefundable. Full payment is due at the time of booking.
Ten great new UK holidays for 2011
From cattle ranching to cycling for softies, and staying in a smuggler's house to wild camping, we've rounded up some of the best new things to do and places to stay in the UKWalk, cycle or ride the South Loch Ness Trail, HighlandsSo new it doesn't actually open until July, the South Loch Ness Trail opens up the less-travelled side of Scotland's most notorious body of water. Unusually for a long distance trail, it accommodates walkers, cyclists and horseriders (and unicyclists and pogo-stickers too, if that's your bag). Stretching from Inverness to just outside Fort Augustus, the 30-mile route takes in some of Scotland's most iconic scenery as it climbs high above the enigmatic loch. ? visitlochness.com/south-loch-ness-trail. Stay at Pottery House B&B, Dores (01463 751267, potteryhouse.co.uk), from �36pp per nightStay in a Hemp Cottage in Crossgar, County DownYou can buy almost anything made of hemp nowadays, so it was only a matter of time before you could stay in a building made from the wonder plant. Hemp Cottage is the result of a cunning scheme by its architect owners to build a modern yet pleasingly rustic-looking cottage that would be snug in winter and cool in summer. Set in an orchard on the bank of a quiet river, the "hempcrete" cottage is also within striking distance of Strangford Lough and the Mourne Mountains. ? From �400 a week (sleeps two-three); 028-44 830988, responsibletravel.comStay in a smuggler's palace in Eyemouth, BerwickshireFor an island nation we possess disappointingly few palaces built by smugglers, and even fewer that you can spend the night in. Thank goodness, then, for Gunsgreen House. Recently restored, this grand Georgian pile built by local smuggler John Nisbet keeps a watchful eye over the harbour at Eyemouth, a few swift oar-strokes north of the border. Guests take over the entire top two floors; the rest of the building houses a museum ? original hidey-holes, cellars and all. ? From �1,100 a week (sleeps 10 + 1), 01738 451610, gunsgreenhouse.org ; book through cottages-and-castles.co.uk, ref A782Drive cattle in Okehampton, DevonEver wanted to emulate John Wayne's cowboy in Red River and cry, "Take 'em to Missouri, Matt!"? Well, the good news is that Missouri has just come to Dartmoor. Saddle up and join farmer Philip Heard on his 660-acre (ahem) ranch to drive his 150 head of cattle across the moor's gulleys and granite tors to pastures new. Staying at a local inn (in lieu of a dusty saloon bar), you'll not only be herding but can also help with dehorning and castration. Not for the lily-livered. ? Until the end of September from �299 for two nights to �749 for seven nights, half board; 01837 52409, dartmoorridingholidays.co.ukSoft Cycling and Yurting near Halesworth, SuffolkSuffolk is anathema to mountaineers but heaven for fair-weather cyclists. Ivy Grange Farm's two lovely yurts, which open next month, make the ideal base for a week of pain-free pedalling ? just borrow one of their bicycles and head off. A plethora of cycle routes passes the front gate, including the brand new 13-mile Beccles to Southwold cycle route opened in May. When you return, grab a solar-heated jungle shower before picking fruit and veg from your yurt's own plot and knocking up a barely-earned barbecue. ? Yurts sleeping two-three from �390 a week; weekend and midweek breaks at a 40% discount (small discount if you arrive on a bicycle or public transport); 07802 456087, ivygrangefarm.co.ukWander the Winchcombe Way, GloucestershireWith a tavern every five miles, the brand new 42-mile Winchcombe Way might almost be viewed as a very energetic pub crawl. A cleverly devised figure-of-eight route centred on the attractive small town of Winchcombe, the walk takes in some lesser-trodden glories of the north Cotswolds. There's oodles of accommodation along the way, from hotels to humble campsites, but finish at 17th-century Woodstanway Farmhouse and you can ease aching limbs (or heads) in a Jacuzzi. ? winchcombewelcomeswalkers.com; Woodstanway Farmhouse (01386 584318, woodstanwayfarmhouse.co.uk) has doubles from �35 a night Sleep in the Music Mill near Hathersage, DerbyshireDeftly throwing its hat into the ring as Britain's most unlikely luxury holiday cottage conversion is the Music Mill, which began life as the nation's very first gramophone needle factory. Just what the owners were thinking building it next to a babbling brook in this gorgeous and largely unspoilt corner of the Peak District (wonderful Stanage Edge is close by) is anyone's guess. Outside, it's all no-nonsense pre-Victorian industrial zeal. Inside, however, the needle has definitely jumped ? this is luxury loft living, and the loft is absolutely huge, with a price to match. ? From �745 for three days (sleeps six); 01865 764087, sheepskinlife.comAt one with nature in Pouquelaie Vinery, GuernseyPerhaps it's apt that an island best known for its cows now offers a way to "reconnect with the land". Stay in WildGuernsey's bell tent or two tipis and you can wake up to the sound of the sea below and the prospect of cooking your breakfast over an open fire from a hamper stuffed with local food. Eco-friendly activities include sea foraging, beach-craft and herbal balm making. And you can even hire your own chicken coop. Clucktastic! ? Bell tent from �42 a night (sleeps four), tipi from �532 a week, two-night weekend �184 (sleeps four); 01481 263153, wildguernsey.co.uk Travel back to the future in Tenby, PembrokeshireAh, dear old Tenby. There can hardly be a more picturesque and homely bucket-and-spade resort in the whole of Wales. All the more surprising, then, to discover that one of the beachfront Regency townhouses within its medieval walls has been converted into two quite extraordinarily contemporary apartments. Sleek minimalism is the order of the day here. And wood-burning stoves. And massive clocks. There are cracking views of Carmarthen Bay and a kayak thrown in too. Is it Tenby or not Tenby? That is the question. ? From �850 a week, shorter stays available (sleeps four); northbeachtenby.com Move in with owls in Sewerby, East YorkshireOpened just last month, the Owl House is one of five newly converted cottages so green they would make the huggiest of tree huggers purr. Better still, when fitting out these Victorian farm buildings with reclaimed materials, biomass underfloor heaters, rainwater catchment systems, wind turbines and all that malarkey, the owners discovered a pair of barn owls living there. So now, within the cottage's roof space, there's a self-contained five-star owl house complete with CCTV so guests in the house below can keep an eye on the feathered squatters above. ? From �375 a week for a two-person cottage, weekend rates also available; 01262 674932, fieldhousefarmcottages.co.ukUnited KingdomSelf-cateringBed and breakfastsCycling holidaysDerbyshireScotlandWalesChannel IslandsSuffolkguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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BA refused to let me use my return ticket from Muscat
I paid over �2,000 for my BA business class ticket. Because I missed my outbound flight BA refused to let me use my return In early February, I booked a business-class ticket through BA's website to Muscat, Oman. I picked the cheapest business seat tickets available on the website and the total return cost was approximately �2,100. It was neither a direct flight nor indeed the cheapest but because I am a frequent flyer with BA, I was happy to go with it. I was sick on the day of my trip and didn't make it to the airport in time. When I called BA, it told me my booking would be registered as a no-show and there was no recourse to put me on another flight out. It said I'd bought a non-flexible ticket and those were the conditions of the booking. Determined to make the trip, I rebooked a flight with Qatar Airways in economy. I made my meeting but became increasingly ill with a stomach bug over the next day or so.As I was now in Muscat and still had a BA return flight booking from Muscat to London, I assumed I would be able to catch the return flight on the more comfortable business seat. I called BA to confirm and was told that because I'd missed my outgoing flight, I was no longer entitled to travel back on the return ticket. Thankfully, I still had my economy seat with Qatar Airways.I suffered an uncomfortable flight back to London. When I got better, I wrote to BA to complain. I was told this was policy. If so, I would deem it an unfair policy and the terms and conditions are unreasonable and detrimental to the customer. Do I have a case for some kind of redress or compensation? BL, London BA claims to be the world's favourite airline, but our letterbag suggests readers are growing tired of this sort of treatment ? particularly you who had paid more than �2,000 for your ticket. We asked BA why it wouldn't let you use the return portion of your ticket. It said your ticket was non-refundable, and because you hadn't arrived for the outward bound leg, your return had automatically been cancelled ? as per its terms and conditions. It also said this policy is the same with all airlines.Policies like this anger passengers because they contravene their sense of natural justice. You paid for a ticket, and felt that the return leg was still yours to use. To get an idea whether such a policy could be challenged, we sent your letter to consumer law expert Christian Twigg-Flesner of Hull University. He likened BA's stance to that once adopted by ferry companies. They used to sell cheap return fares, but would apply an extra charge if you only travelled one way. He also questioned whether BA would have applied the same policy had it been forced to cancel the outward leg of the flight, which of course, it wouldn't."One could try to build an argument under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 to suggest this is unfair if it is contrary to good faith and creates a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations to the detriment of the consumer," he says."It would depend on how clear the terms and conditions are, and how well they are presented to consumers. As this kind of term is probably only going to be relevant in the types of case this consumer has encountered, it won't affect the vast majority of travellers. But if the fare conditions are easily accessible and explained to consumers at the time of booking, then this kind of term might well pass the fairness test."In essence he said you are probably best putting this down to experience. BA, of course, has lost another passenger, a former Gold card holder, and regular traveller ? for the sake of an easy rebooking.We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@guardian.co.uk or write to Brignall & King, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone numberConsumer rightsConsumer affairsFlightsBritish AirwaysAirline industryTravel & leisureMiles Brignallguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Accor celebrates 20 years by Blitzing AAA Awards
Accor has even more reason to celebrate as it approaches its 20th anniversary in Australia, with the group taking a huge haul at the Accommodation Association of Australia (AAA) Awards on Friday night. Amongst the awards won, Accor took out the title of Hotel Chain of the Year; won the trifecta of Gold (Elvis Soiva, Concierge of Sofitel Brisbane), Silver and Bronze for Employee of the Year; and Gold in the 5-star Hotel Award for Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. Other awards included Gold for 3.5-star accommodation for Ibis Sydney Darling Harbour, while Erkin Aytekin of Novotel St Kilda won General Manager of the Year. Simon McGrath, Vice President for Accor Australia was also recognized for his work in the industry by winning a prestigious ACES Award, the AAA?s highest honour.
Novotel Barossa Valley Resort won Silver in the 4.5-star Accommodation category while Novotel Wollongong took out the Bronze; Mercure Sydney Airport won Bronze in 4-Star Deluxe; and Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach won Bronze in the 5-star category.
The AAA Awards are the most credible awards in the accommodation sector, with nominations from members and non-members, stakeholders, industry suppliers and even a mystery guest component. The AAA represents a cross section of accommodation providers with more than 2000 members.
?We are thrilled to have been recognized as industry leaders at the AAA Awards at a time when Accor is celebrating its 20th year in Australia,? said Simon McGrath, Accor?s Vice President Australia. ?To win Hotel Chain of the Year and have our employees named as the best in the industry is a true testament to everything Accor has worked towards over the past two decades.?
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Novotel Barossa Valley Resort won Silver in the 4.5-star Accommodation category while Novotel Wollongong took out the Bronze; Mercure Sydney Airport won Bronze in 4-Star Deluxe; and Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach won Bronze in the 5-star category.
The AAA Awards are the most credible awards in the accommodation sector, with nominations from members and non-members, stakeholders, industry suppliers and even a mystery guest component. The AAA represents a cross section of accommodation providers with more than 2000 members.
?We are thrilled to have been recognized as industry leaders at the AAA Awards at a time when Accor is celebrating its 20th year in Australia,? said Simon McGrath, Accor?s Vice President Australia. ?To win Hotel Chain of the Year and have our employees named as the best in the industry is a true testament to everything Accor has worked towards over the past two decades.?
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Do digital snaps really undermine holiday memories?
The boundaries are blurred between work and leisure, home and abroad ? and we become curators of our memories' raw materialAt one point in Chris Marker's 1983 film Sans Soleil, his narrator wonders how anyone remembers anything without photographing or filming. More recently, Paul Theroux told the Telegraph that he preferred to travel without a camera since it made him less observant and interfered with his memory.While packing our bags during the holiday season the question doesn't even arise of whether to take a camera or not. The decision has been taken for us by the mobile phones and tablet computers that will accompany us to our often Wi-Fi-connected getaways, like stowaway memoirists reporting to our holiday blogs or social networking sites. The nostalgic urge to send dispatches is even enhanced by the retro appeal of being able to send physical postcards of our photographs to those back home, with apps such as Shoot It! or Simply Postcards!.The supposedly downtime, time out, of holidays, now joins the real-time of news reportage, with the two activities sometimes converging when holidaymakers get caught up in natural disasters, terrorist outrages, or civil unrest and find themselves producing eyewitness reportage.The tools are now always there in our pocket or beach bag to help us interact with our experiences abroad. It often isn't even clear where "abroad" is, when home is wherever one's iPhone is. But, with so much real-time interaction, where is the detachment and delay of Marker's filmed travel of the 1980s, Theroux's literary reflection, or the revelry of pondering the world stoked up by a suitcase of summer reading, often related to the holiday destination chosen?With the boundaries of work and leisure, home and abroad blurred, maybe the still point around which the compass of digital lives spins continues to be the physical experience of our surroundings and those around us. And, it is in relation to that experience that our memories fluidly make sense of that experience over a period of time. If so, perhaps we should think of ourselves as curators of our memories' raw material, in the form of photographs, videos, tweets and other material. The curatorial evolution of the web is marked by the proliferation of sites such as Storify. The latter invites us to become authors of our and others' content by going one step further and telling stories with the traces of experience we record on our cameras, phones, tweets and blogs. I would say that is what memory is largely about.In this context, technology pundit and writer Bill Thompson, serendipitously tweets me that he "would never be without a camera on holiday or elsewhere, but careful to use it to complement and not replace the experience captured. If the thing I remember is taking the photograph, then I'm doing it wrong." He follows up by reminding me that only with hindsight, after the necessary delay and reflection, do our photographs allow us to access our memories.After the boom in production announcing the arrival of the digital age last century, I look forward to a spirit of conservation. Photography and holidays are there to help us remember who we are and give us experiences worth recalling. It has been pointed out by others before that we are all tourists now, except exiles and refugees. This is in spite of Theroux's amusing attempt, as a traveller, to avert the risk of being mistaken for a lowlier species. Whether native, tourist or exalted traveller, pack your camera but lead with your eyes, mind, and heart. Happy holidays and memories.PhotographyDigital mediaJohn Perivolarisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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No April Fool's - 3 Feet of Fresh at Squaw
.....Squaw Valley, Calif. (Ski Press)-No fooling, a strong storm has left up to 3 feet of new snow at Squaw Valley USA in the last 36 hours. A chance of snow showers remain in the forecast in the days ahead, providing continued fresh ski conditions. Squaw will be open through May 9th, with superb springtime skiing and snowboarding, and a host of spring events, including weekly pool parties at the spectacular High Camp Swiming Lagoon and Spa, and fun events like the annual Billy Dutton Uphill Race on April 11th, and the Lake Cushing Classic Pond Crossing. SEASON STATS To date this season, Squaw Valley USA has received over 428? or more than 35 feet of snow on the upper mountain. Current base depths measure 139-151? on the upper mountain.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
I Heart My City: Natalie?s Toronto
This week’s I Heart My City comes to us from Natalie Taylor, who writes the blog NearAfar. And what perfect timing! Our Digital Nomad, Andrew Evans, is exploring Toronto this week, and will be appearing at a @WheresAndrew Tweetup on tonight (Thursday, June 23), at Ciao Wine Bar, 133 Yorkville Avenue, from 5:30 to 7…
Edinburgh's hidden cycle paths
The Innertube Map website is using volunteers and social media to make the cycle network more accessible and easier to useEdinburgh has an amazing network of cycle paths that cut through the city like rabbit warrens. But you can live in the city for years and not even know they exist.Old converted railway lines with deep embankments will take you from near the city centre down to the Port of Leith, to Granton, or to the seaside at Cramond ? routes that go for miles with barely the sight or sound of a road or car. You can ride from a housing estate near the Scottish Parliament right down to the seaside resort of Portobello, passing through a dramatic tunnel over 500m long. The first time I found one of these paths, having lived in Edinburgh for five years, it was like being teleported to another part of the city. Apart from anything, I had no idea where I was, or what parts of the city I had passed through. There were no signs, and the landmarks were new to me.Fast forward five years, and we've just launched the Innertube Map website, an interactive map and blog which uses citizen journalists, smartphones and geo-tagging to help bring these routes to life.The map itself is a stylised version of the cycle paths based on the London tube map, and was the brain child of Mark Sydenham, manager of Edinburgh bicycle recycling charity the Bike Station. The idea for the interactive map and blog was the result of my work as a beatblogger for the Guardian last year and my longstanding interest in community radio and media.Here's how it works. Entrances and exits to the paths have been changed to "stops" on the map, such as Ferry Road, Fountainbridge or Holyrood Road.Stories, audio, video and photos can be tagged to any of these stops, either by using a keyword, or by geo-tagging your content ? with a smartphone, for example. Alternatively, you can post directly onto a stop on the website, or just email the content in.The map then shows when and where new stories have appeared, whether they've been written by members of the public or by our team of eleven volunteer Innertube Ambassadors. They're there to report interesting events and stories affecting the communities around the routes, and to relay problems like fly-tipping, vandalism, poor signage or barriers for bikes, pedestrians, wheelchair users or horses (yes, really).Our ambassadors are a pretty varied bunch: there's Jackie Jack, a tall blonde police officer from the mounted division of Lothian and Borders Police; Mo from Portobello, a blogger and wheelchair user who is training to be a cox; Alasdair, a dispute resolution lawyer who commutes into work every day; and Gary, a founding member of the Spartans FC cycle club (four members so far). They're a great bunch.I've been out training them for the last couple of months, teaching them how to blog, tweet and interview people using smartphones. For example, Sue was out recently covering the opening of a new cycle path in Granton with audioboo: she had her report up on the site within two hours.Of course, not everyone has a smartphone, so we bought kit for about half our ambassadors as we didn't want that to be a barrier to participation. Luckily, we've had a good budget for equipment and to build the website as we won?�98,000 of funding for the project from The People's Postcode Lottery to do the project, and do it well.Some of that money has gone into developing the site and training and equipping the ambassadors. Most of it, however, will be spent on conservation work on the cycle paths by a local NGO, Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust, and on creating clear, colourful new signs that will match the map - another way to help people find the routes.Maybe then people visiting the city, students and locals will be able find out about this amazing network of routes more easily, and not stumble across them by chance. We're already hearing that the map is helping people (including Labour MSP Sarah Boyack) who know the city well find routes they didn't know existed.And if you already know the routes like the back of your hand? Well, maybe you'd like to tell us about what's happening on them.CyclingEthical and green livingEdinburghTom Allanguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Best Independence Day travel movies of all time
Filed under: Festivals and Events, North America, United StatesAmerica's Independence Day is a time of celebration with friends, family and maybe a few thousand other people at a festival or event. Over the holiday weekend there might also be time to watch a movie or two and there is no shortage of patriotic films to view.
Kaboose.com has a top ten list and Kaboose movie expert Jane Louise Boursaw and associate producer, Bethany Porter, have chosen their picks for the top ten patriotic movies of all time. Take a look at this list of the best Independence Day travel movies of all time.
On the Town
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin are three sailors on shore leave in New York City. They've got 24 hours to fill up with fun and romance before they're due back on the ship. When those guys get off the boat and burst into song-wow!
They're jazzed about being on shore leave, even more so in "New York, New York," one of the greatest cities in the world, complete with the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. Brings to mind that famous Life Magazine photo of the sailor who grabbed and kissed the first girl he could find after WWII. Those were the days!
Rocky
Sylvester Stallone plays Rocky Balboa, a struggling boxer working in a meat factory in Philadelphia. Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed is supposed to win their exhibition fight, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who makes the best of his shot at the big time.
Rocky has a one-in-a-million shot at winning the fight on the 4th of July, but he goes for it anyway. Go for your dreams - especially in America where opportunities lurk around every corner-or, in Rocky's case, up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.Continue reading Best Independence Day travel movies of all timeBest Independence Day travel movies of all time originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Kaboose.com has a top ten list and Kaboose movie expert Jane Louise Boursaw and associate producer, Bethany Porter, have chosen their picks for the top ten patriotic movies of all time. Take a look at this list of the best Independence Day travel movies of all time.
On the Town
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin are three sailors on shore leave in New York City. They've got 24 hours to fill up with fun and romance before they're due back on the ship. When those guys get off the boat and burst into song-wow!
They're jazzed about being on shore leave, even more so in "New York, New York," one of the greatest cities in the world, complete with the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. Brings to mind that famous Life Magazine photo of the sailor who grabbed and kissed the first girl he could find after WWII. Those were the days!
Rocky
Sylvester Stallone plays Rocky Balboa, a struggling boxer working in a meat factory in Philadelphia. Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed is supposed to win their exhibition fight, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who makes the best of his shot at the big time.
Rocky has a one-in-a-million shot at winning the fight on the 4th of July, but he goes for it anyway. Go for your dreams - especially in America where opportunities lurk around every corner-or, in Rocky's case, up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.Continue reading Best Independence Day travel movies of all timeBest Independence Day travel movies of all time originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Photo of the Day - Thai monk
Filed under: Asia, Thailand, Photo of the Day
Religious ritual is closely connected to everyday life in Southeast Asia, even in the confines of a modern city like Bangkok. Today's photo, by Flickr user Mark Fischer, is of a monk with an alms bowl, a frequent sight throughout Thailand. The man holds the shiny metal bowl in his hands while a distorted reflection of his face stares up from the bottom. The soft orange folds of the man's robe and scripty tattoos on his forearm lend further personality to this elusive figure. Interestingly enough, Mark caught this photo during a special ceremony in support of the monks of Southern Thailand, who have been subject to threats of violence by a local insurgency.
Taken any great photos during your travels? Why not add them to the Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.Photo of the Day - Thai monk originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Religious ritual is closely connected to everyday life in Southeast Asia, even in the confines of a modern city like Bangkok. Today's photo, by Flickr user Mark Fischer, is of a monk with an alms bowl, a frequent sight throughout Thailand. The man holds the shiny metal bowl in his hands while a distorted reflection of his face stares up from the bottom. The soft orange folds of the man's robe and scripty tattoos on his forearm lend further personality to this elusive figure. Interestingly enough, Mark caught this photo during a special ceremony in support of the monks of Southern Thailand, who have been subject to threats of violence by a local insurgency.
Taken any great photos during your travels? Why not add them to the Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.Photo of the Day - Thai monk originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The Authentic Ski Tour: Yellowstone National Park, Day 3
..... Yellowstone, Wyo. (Ski Press)-We drove out in the morning with the mountains going gold in the light, and the deer and the elk beside the road. They jumped the barbed wire fences so lightly, off into the grasslands and the endless views. And there was a little pasture filled with buffalo, and a herd of bighorn sheep working their way back into the hills. ?You wouldn?t go hungry,? I said. And Jeff said, ?And we?re still 20 minutes from Yellowstone.? It was the third leg of my ?Authentic Ski Tour? of Montana?s Yellowstone Country. After a day skiing the rustically exhilarating slopes of Red Lodge with Jeff Carroll, and an evening at the high-end honky tonk hot springs of Chico, we were heading to the crown jewel of America?s national park system: Yellowstone. Founded in 1872, the first national park in the world, just the mention of it filled my head with scenes of spouting geysers, iced over waterfalls and great herds of bison plowing pathways through the snow. ?I think I?m a Teddy Roosevelt Republican,? I suddenly confessed to Jeff (although it was President Ulysses S. Grant who first set the preservation stage by signing Yellowstone?s special status into law), suddenly getting all misty-eyed about our American wild lands, and the kind of politicians interested in preserving our country?s most spectacular and pristine native soil. ?But that?s something that probably doesn?t exist anymore.? ?Have you seen the Ken Burns documentary on the National Parks?? Jeff asked. ?It?s incredible.? We drove in to Yellowstone through Gardiner, Montana, and had only just paid the park ranger when I snapped a photo of a bull elk 10 yards from the car. Then we caught a snowcoach in to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, with our guide/driver going on about ?geyser geeks,? wolf packs, calderas, wildlife biologists and grizzly bears, and how her parents had first fallen in love working one summer at Yellowstone. She said, ?That?s why I?ve always kind of thought of this as home.? Only 30 minutes into the drive we began to see herd after herd of bison, trudging in single file to a new grassy field, and creating a little Prehistoric-style traffic jam across the road. We saw bubbling gray mud pots, bleached white tree trunks and new green growth from the forest renewing itself. And everywhere there was the atmospheric mist of the geysers and the hot springs billowing in the cold March air. ?That?s one of the reasons I like winter here the best,? our guide/driver said. ?Because it?s so quiet. And the geysers are so much more dramatic at this time of year.? That equal measure of beauty and breathing planet is stunning to see, with the corresponding splendor of creation and damnation everywhere, of unfettered natural law. It?s why on the way out, when we stopped to take photos of two coyotes tearing apart the carcass of an elk, in my notes I wrote, ?Only heaven could be this wild and gorgeous, and this raw and real.? ?Did she also tell you that the bears might also be waking up right now?? asked Doug Wales. The director of marketing for Bridger Bowl, it was Wales who had invited me to Montana, and who had been the most excited about getting out for a cross-country ski on the Yellowstone snow. It was Wales who set me up to use that old joke, ?I don?t have to outrun the bear. Just you two.? But that would have been hard to do. A talented cross-country skier, Wales made it look easy, kicking and gliding up the snow-covered road as Jeff and I fell further and further out of view. Then again out the long, peaceful streamside trail, to the Lone Star Geyser like a throne of magma in the woods, bathing in the sun and a raven?s caws. ?When does it erupt?? ?Every three hours.? ?Every three hours from when?? ?Exactly.? We decided to ski back to watch Old Faithful instead, betting the safe bet. Which paid off like it always does, blasting hot water straight up in an exclamation arc as painters painted, gawkers gawked and video cameras whirred. ?Look at the coyote,? someone said, and there it was, sniffing the seats and then off into the woods as if it had known the geyser?s regular eruption schedule as well. ?That was cool.? That was nature?s entertainment hour, pulling out all the stops in a single day of sky and scenery and sensation in a place where there is no internet and no TV in the rooms. We sat by the fire instead, letting the feeling grow. In the morning we would see those coyotes eating the carcass, more steam from geysers like Yankee Boy and Old Faithful again, and more elk in the river and a swan. And for dinner, we would all order the buffalo. Next: Big Sky. Links: Yellowstone National Park: http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
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National Bike Week
The wheels are in motion for National Bike Week, the biggest nationwide cycling event in the UK. It starts June 18th and is a week of activities celebrating cycling and the environment and of course the social health benefits. Team Green Britain, founded by EDF Energy, are sponsoring the event.Bike week was started by the Cyclists Touring Club in 1923 and each year tens of thousands of cyclists take part. The aim is to encourage everyone to use a bike as their preferred form of transport.There are organised bike rides all around the country and organisers are varied.Norwood are staging a Junior Bike Ride on June 19 starting at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Herfordshire and Deaf Connections who have two events for the Deaf Community in Scotland. There?s even a bike fashion show run by Envirolution in Manchester at Platt Fields Park where you can show of your bike on a bike walk and the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride is a 70 mile sponsored charity cycle ride starting at Wetherby (the Racecourse) and ends in Filey.There are hundreds of events everywhere, and whether you are participating or inspired to get on your bike, Bike Week website has a calculator to find out how much money you save, and how many calories you burn.More information about what?s going on in your area: http://bikeweek.org.ukIf you are joing in, we'd love to see your photos.�
15 June 2011
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Monday, June 27, 2011
Breckenridge Offering Snow Tubing Through July 4th
Summer snow tubing at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. (photo: Breckenridge Resort)
Breckenridge, CO ? While the first day of summer arrived this week, Breckenridge ski area in Colorado finally dug out of their record snow season and debuted the Breckenridge Super Tubing for the first time at the Breckenridge Fun�Park.�This is the first summer for snow tubing at Breckenridge Ski Resort, offering the world?s longest ride at 2,000 feet. The Park Lane Super Tubing hill sits in the footprint of the resort?s Park Lane Terrain Park. Snow tubing should continue until July 4th, weather permitting.
Brand new featured attractions this year in the Breckenridge Fun Park will also include the inaugural season of Breck 4�4 off-road tours, pony rides for kids, and the first warm-weather operations of the new GoldRunner Alpine Coaster.� The Breckenridge Fun Park is open today through September 4th daily, and weekends only from Sept. 9-18. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Situated on the slopes, the Breckenridge Fun Park this summer will feature activities for all ages, including the Alpine SuperSlide, mountain biking, a SuperPutt Mini Golf course, Rockpile climbing wall, SuperBungee Trampoline, Ripperoo?s bounce house, gemstone panning, guided hikes, Colorado?s largest human maze, and more. The start of some activities in on the mountain this summer season may be delayed due to the melting snow pack.
Related stories:Oregon?s Mt. Bachelor to Reopen for July 4th Weekend Skiing
Araphoe Basin to Offer Colorado Skiing and Snowboarding Through July 4th
Alpine Meadows to Reopen for July 4th Skiing
Squaw to Open for 4th of July Weekend Skiing
Snowbird to Extend Utah Ski Season Through July 4th
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Breckenridge, CO ? While the first day of summer arrived this week, Breckenridge ski area in Colorado finally dug out of their record snow season and debuted the Breckenridge Super Tubing for the first time at the Breckenridge Fun�Park.�This is the first summer for snow tubing at Breckenridge Ski Resort, offering the world?s longest ride at 2,000 feet. The Park Lane Super Tubing hill sits in the footprint of the resort?s Park Lane Terrain Park. Snow tubing should continue until July 4th, weather permitting.
Brand new featured attractions this year in the Breckenridge Fun Park will also include the inaugural season of Breck 4�4 off-road tours, pony rides for kids, and the first warm-weather operations of the new GoldRunner Alpine Coaster.� The Breckenridge Fun Park is open today through September 4th daily, and weekends only from Sept. 9-18. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Situated on the slopes, the Breckenridge Fun Park this summer will feature activities for all ages, including the Alpine SuperSlide, mountain biking, a SuperPutt Mini Golf course, Rockpile climbing wall, SuperBungee Trampoline, Ripperoo?s bounce house, gemstone panning, guided hikes, Colorado?s largest human maze, and more. The start of some activities in on the mountain this summer season may be delayed due to the melting snow pack.
Related stories:Oregon?s Mt. Bachelor to Reopen for July 4th Weekend Skiing
Araphoe Basin to Offer Colorado Skiing and Snowboarding Through July 4th
Alpine Meadows to Reopen for July 4th Skiing
Squaw to Open for 4th of July Weekend Skiing
Snowbird to Extend Utah Ski Season Through July 4th
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Wine lovers can win ski trip to Chile this summer with "Sips & Slopes" contest
Filed under: Biking, Arts and Culture, Hiking, History, Learning, Skiing, Business, Festivals and Events, Food and Drink, South America, Chile, Camping, Ecotourism, News, Luxury TravelIf wine and schussing are your thang, unleash your inner poet and enter the Wines of Chile "Sips & Slopes" contest. The rules are simple: compose and tweet an original haiku about Chile, using the hashtag #SipsSlopes. The lucky winner and a guest will win a five-night stay at Chile's largest ski resort, Valle Nevado, including two round-trip tickets on LAN airlines. As you might expect, being wined and dined is included.
Chile is well-known for its stellar skiing and other outdoor recreational pursuits (both winter and summer), as well as for being "un pais de poetas," a country of poets. Literary greats such as Pablo Neruda and Isabel Allende are the inspiration behind the "Sips & Slopes" contest, which is to showcase Chile's reputation as a rising star of South American wine production.
The country's diverse landscapes and topography provide ideal microclimates for the production of a wide range of varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Carmenere, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Where Chile was once merely a mass producer of low- to mid-range wines, today it's a serious contender against the high-end wines of Argentina's famed Mendoza Valley across the border.
Chilean wine regions such as the Maipo, Aconcagua, and Colchagua Valleys are drawing visitors from all over the world, who come for the Mediterranean climate, rural pastimes such as biking, horseback riding, and hiking, and excellent (and affordable) dining, wine tasting, and accommodation options.
Applicants to "Sips & Slopes" will be judged on "creativity, originality, and adherence to haiku format." Entries will be accepted until June 30th (only one per person and Twitter account, please); the winner will be announced on or around July 7th. Buena suerte!
[Photo credit: Flickr user wharman]
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Wine lovers can win ski trip to Chile this summer with "Sips & Slopes" contest originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Chile is well-known for its stellar skiing and other outdoor recreational pursuits (both winter and summer), as well as for being "un pais de poetas," a country of poets. Literary greats such as Pablo Neruda and Isabel Allende are the inspiration behind the "Sips & Slopes" contest, which is to showcase Chile's reputation as a rising star of South American wine production.
The country's diverse landscapes and topography provide ideal microclimates for the production of a wide range of varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Carmenere, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Where Chile was once merely a mass producer of low- to mid-range wines, today it's a serious contender against the high-end wines of Argentina's famed Mendoza Valley across the border.
Chilean wine regions such as the Maipo, Aconcagua, and Colchagua Valleys are drawing visitors from all over the world, who come for the Mediterranean climate, rural pastimes such as biking, horseback riding, and hiking, and excellent (and affordable) dining, wine tasting, and accommodation options.
Applicants to "Sips & Slopes" will be judged on "creativity, originality, and adherence to haiku format." Entries will be accepted until June 30th (only one per person and Twitter account, please); the winner will be announced on or around July 7th. Buena suerte!
[Photo credit: Flickr user wharman]
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-690137{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-690137, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-690137{width:580px;height:416px;display:block;}
Wine lovers can win ski trip to Chile this summer with "Sips & Slopes" contest originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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UK bathing places mapped
Europe has ranked every bathing place, beach and swimming area across the EU. How do the UK's beaches and lakes compare? Find which are great - and which are banned? Get the data? Get the mapDo you like swimming outside? But how clean is your beach?Since 1990, the European Union has been monitoring over 21,000 beaches, lakes and rivers across Europe - anywhere where swimmers go al fresco, in fact. So that huge dataset covers Brighton Beach, the Hamsptead swimming ponds and the classic Mediterranean beaches of the South of France, Spain and Greece.So, what does the data, out today from the European Environment Agency, show for the UK? The overall figures are good - 96.8% of our swimming areas meet the legal standards, if not the full guidelines. This is down slightly on last year - but more swimming areas are now being surveyed.But three beaches had to be closed because standards were not high enough, including Blackpool North, Newhaven in Sussex and Tywyn in Wales.The rankings only include outside swimming places - not man-made lidos or pools.This is how the data looks on a Google Fusion map:Most British bathing areas do comply - but a significant number only meet the mandatory rules, not the wider-ranging guidelines.What is happening across Europe? According to the report:In 2010, 92.1% of Europe's coastal bathing waters and 90.2% of inland bathing waters met the minimum quality standards. Only 1.2% of coastal bathing water and 2.8% of inland sites were non-compliant. The remainder are unclassified due to insufficient data.In general, coastal bathing water quality deteriorated between 2009 and 2010 ? the number of bathing water bodies meeting the mandatory values fell by 3.5%, while those meeting guide values fell by 9.5%.Inland water quality has also dropped. The number of rivers and lakes achieving the guide values fell by 10.2%, although compliance with the mandatory values was almost stationary. Rivers were particularly problematic, with only 25% of river bathing waters achieving guide values.If you want to, you can find out what variables from the Directive they use to rank each beach here. The EEA use six, slightly confusing, categories. In plain language they mean:?�CG - The best beaches, complying with the law and the guidelines? CI - complies with the mandatory requirements - but not the guidelines?�B - banned or closed (temporarily or throughout the season)? NF - insufficiently sampled? NC - Does not comply with the legal requirements? NS - not sampledEventually we will try to map all of Europe's 21,000 beaches - and you can download every country's data here. The full UK data is below. What can you do with it?Data summary Download the data? DATA: download the full spreadsheetMore open dataData journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianWorld government data? Search the world's government data with our gatewayDevelopment and aid data? Search the world's global development data with our gatewayCan you do something with this data?? Flickr Please post your visualisations and mash-ups on our Flickr group? Contact us at data@guardian.co.uk? Get the A-Z of data? More at the Datastore directory? Follow us on Twitter? Like us on FacebookPollutionSwimming holidaysSwimmingBeach holidaysSimon Rogersguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Sunday, June 26, 2011
Food festival guide 2011
Our guide to 2011's best food festivals in Britain and IrelandTony NaylorRick Peters
BA refused to let me use my return ticket from Muscat
I paid over �2,000 for my BA business class ticket. Because I missed my outbound flight BA refused to let me use my return In early February, I booked a business-class ticket through BA's website to Muscat, Oman. I picked the cheapest business seat tickets available on the website and the total return cost was approximately �2,100. It was neither a direct flight nor indeed the cheapest but because I am a frequent flyer with BA, I was happy to go with it. I was sick on the day of my trip and didn't make it to the airport in time. When I called BA, it told me my booking would be registered as a no-show and there was no recourse to put me on another flight out. It said I'd bought a non-flexible ticket and those were the conditions of the booking. Determined to make the trip, I rebooked a flight with Qatar Airways in economy. I made my meeting but became increasingly ill with a stomach bug over the next day or so.As I was now in Muscat and still had a BA return flight booking from Muscat to London, I assumed I would be able to catch the return flight on the more comfortable business seat. I called BA to confirm and was told that because I'd missed my outgoing flight, I was no longer entitled to travel back on the return ticket. Thankfully, I still had my economy seat with Qatar Airways.I suffered an uncomfortable flight back to London. When I got better, I wrote to BA to complain. I was told this was policy. If so, I would deem it an unfair policy and the terms and conditions are unreasonable and detrimental to the customer. Do I have a case for some kind of redress or compensation? BL, London BA claims to be the world's favourite airline, but our letterbag suggests readers are growing tired of this sort of treatment ? particularly you who had paid more than �2,000 for your ticket. We asked BA why it wouldn't let you use the return portion of your ticket. It said your ticket was non-refundable, and because you hadn't arrived for the outward bound leg, your return had automatically been cancelled ? as per its terms and conditions. It also said this policy is the same with all airlines.Policies like this anger passengers because they contravene their sense of natural justice. You paid for a ticket, and felt that the return leg was still yours to use. To get an idea whether such a policy could be challenged, we sent your letter to consumer law expert Christian Twigg-Flesner of Hull University. He likened BA's stance to that once adopted by ferry companies. They used to sell cheap return fares, but would apply an extra charge if you only travelled one way. He also questioned whether BA would have applied the same policy had it been forced to cancel the outward leg of the flight, which of course, it wouldn't."One could try to build an argument under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 to suggest this is unfair if it is contrary to good faith and creates a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations to the detriment of the consumer," he says."It would depend on how clear the terms and conditions are, and how well they are presented to consumers. As this kind of term is probably only going to be relevant in the types of case this consumer has encountered, it won't affect the vast majority of travellers. But if the fare conditions are easily accessible and explained to consumers at the time of booking, then this kind of term might well pass the fairness test."In essence he said you are probably best putting this down to experience. BA, of course, has lost another passenger, a former Gold card holder, and regular traveller ? for the sake of an easy rebooking.We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@guardian.co.uk or write to Brignall & King, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone numberConsumer rightsConsumer affairsFlightsBritish AirwaysAirline industryTravel & leisureMiles Brignallguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Live on Kauai: New Island Community
Kauai was ranked #2 in ISLANDS magazine's Best Island to Live On round up in 2010. Now, your dream life there has a brand new option, the first development of its kind in twenty years. Check out the Kukui'ula community opening as we speak in Koloa, Kauai.
Browse the Kukui'ula Brochure
Browse the Kukui'ula Brochure
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Food festival guide 2011
Our guide to 2011's best food festivals in Britain and IrelandTony NaylorRick Peters
Snowbird Delivers for Subaru Freeski Championships
..... Salt Lake City, Utah (Ski Press)-The 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour came to a close today, on Snowbird?s North Baldy venue at the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships. The crowd surpassed Saturday?s semi-final by two fold; there were rows upon rows of dug out snow benches, the smell of burgers on travel grills and the random toots from horns and megaphones, all in support of the remaining athletes that have made it through the Tour gauntlet. The Super-Finals, were a collection of the top five women and 12 men from the Finals, and it was definitely a stomp to win situation on North Baldy, considering the level of skiers in the mix. For the men, an East coaster won, Lars Chickering-Ayers, of Mad River Glen, Vermont, skied a fast, aggressive line, getting huge air off of Flying Squirrel Cliff and then straight-lining it to a double-drop in the Amphitheater, earning him a combined score of 125.57. Following Chickering-Ayers in second was Drew Stoecklein, of Snowbird, Utah, with 121.37, in third was Oakley White-Allen, of Snowbird, Utah, with 119.5, in fourth, Nick ''little buddy'' Greener, of Snowbird, Utah, with 117.5, which also earned him the coveted Backcountry.com Sickbird Award. For the overall Tour standings, Arne Backstrom, of Squaw Valley, California, who took ninth today, hung onto to his season-long Tour Leader title, winning the coveted McConkey Cup. Of those that stomped hardest and landed, for the women, Angel Collinson, of Snowbird, Utah, was the definite leader, earning a combined score of 104.23. Collinson?s aggressive skiing and strategic double cliff drop in Amphitheater, not only earned her the top spot for today, but also was enough to push into the lead for overall Tour points, who also took third in Revelstoke, Canada and fourth in Crested Butte. Colorado. ?I went for it, because this isn?t about winning, it?s about skiing,? said Collinson of what she was thinking before dropping in. For her stellar skiing, Collinson was awarded the McConkey Cup, in honor of the man who not only pioneered big mountain skiing, but also started the International Freeskier Association. As we approach the one-year anniversary this week of the sports founding father's untimely death, it is only fitting that the overall championship award be dedicated to none other than Saucer Boy. "He is the overall, leader and inspiration of freeskiing," said Event Director Bryan Barlow, "It was Shane's vision to create a freeskiing competition, to bring the world's best skier to one place and demonstrate the progression."His legacy will continue to live on through the spirit of the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour and through the athletes that earn his Cup. We know he?d be proud of the progression all the athletes displayed today.? For a complete results, photos, videos, athlete profiles and more, please visit�www.freeskiingworldtour.com
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Sushi Wars
Filed under: Food and Drink, North America, EcotourismThe question arises with more and more frequency these days: To sushi or not to sushi?
There is a growing contingent of conscientious mariners and travelers out there who refuse to eat all seafood, arguing that sea life has been so injudiciously hammered in the past five decades that if it's going to survive we need to give it a true break. That path, of course, puts at risk the livelihoods of 30 million-plus global fishermen and the related industry they support.
Others, attempting to choose wisely, attempt to navigate by choosing so-called sustainable seafood, which leads away from the big-name predators (tuna, salmon, swordfish, mahi-mahi) towards smaller, less-popular thus still prolific species.
But in the booming sushi trade, opting for that admittedly delicious tuna and other at-risk fish can prompt lively pre-dinner brawls, even among the most enlightened carrying smart phones armed with apps to help steer them towards the "safest" fish on the menu.
With bluefin season heating up in the Mediterranean the question is ever more relevant. Several weeks ago Sea Shepherd's "Operation Blue Rage" sent two of its boats, the Steve Irwin and Brigitte Bardot, to the coast of Libya to help monitor and take direct action if it observes illegal tuna-ing.Continue reading Sushi WarsSushi Wars originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
There is a growing contingent of conscientious mariners and travelers out there who refuse to eat all seafood, arguing that sea life has been so injudiciously hammered in the past five decades that if it's going to survive we need to give it a true break. That path, of course, puts at risk the livelihoods of 30 million-plus global fishermen and the related industry they support.
Others, attempting to choose wisely, attempt to navigate by choosing so-called sustainable seafood, which leads away from the big-name predators (tuna, salmon, swordfish, mahi-mahi) towards smaller, less-popular thus still prolific species.
But in the booming sushi trade, opting for that admittedly delicious tuna and other at-risk fish can prompt lively pre-dinner brawls, even among the most enlightened carrying smart phones armed with apps to help steer them towards the "safest" fish on the menu.
With bluefin season heating up in the Mediterranean the question is ever more relevant. Several weeks ago Sea Shepherd's "Operation Blue Rage" sent two of its boats, the Steve Irwin and Brigitte Bardot, to the coast of Libya to help monitor and take direct action if it observes illegal tuna-ing.Continue reading Sushi WarsSushi Wars originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
No April Fool's - 3 Feet of Fresh at Squaw
.....Squaw Valley, Calif. (Ski Press)-No fooling, a strong storm has left up to 3 feet of new snow at Squaw Valley USA in the last 36 hours. A chance of snow showers remain in the forecast in the days ahead, providing continued fresh ski conditions. Squaw will be open through May 9th, with superb springtime skiing and snowboarding, and a host of spring events, including weekly pool parties at the spectacular High Camp Swiming Lagoon and Spa, and fun events like the annual Billy Dutton Uphill Race on April 11th, and the Lake Cushing Classic Pond Crossing. SEASON STATS To date this season, Squaw Valley USA has received over 428? or more than 35 feet of snow on the upper mountain. Current base depths measure 139-151? on the upper mountain.
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Get Your Grin on in Southeast Alaska
By Jenna Schnuer Several years back, I interviewed author Gretchen Rubin about her then-upcoming book, The Happiness Project. While we were chatting, Rubin?a former editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal and clerk for Justice Sandra Day O?Connor (aka, she?s no dummy)?spoke about her concern that it?s become, basically, fashionable, for people to take pride in…
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Saturday, June 25, 2011
Beer of the WeekHop Rod RyeHeadwall AltSanta Fe Pale AleHoney Basil Beer
It's Friday. Here's what we're drinking.
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10 of the best pubs in London
It's impossible to imagine a London without pubs. Matt Brown, editor of Londonist, selects 10 of the capital's finest drinking establishments, from the historic to the eccentric? As featured in our London city guideThe MayflowerThe Thames Path has no shortage of decent stop-offs, and this Rotherhithe mainstay packs in the history like no other. A pub has stood on the site since time immemorial, and certainly, when the Pilgrim Fathers set sail in their own Mayflower from a nearby mooring in 1620. The current building is 18th century, and looks every inch the traditional English pub with oak beams and wooden panelling. A fine (if pricey) dining room can be found upstairs, with impressive views of the Thames. Oh, and those standing on the outside decking at high tide: you may get wet.? 117 Rotherhithe Street SE16, +44 (0)20-7237 4088Zeitgeist LondonA German gastropub, with German beers, German football and German staff. Quite a gamble in the back streets of Lambeth, yet Zeitgeist does a fine job of attracting locals and non-locals of every nationality. The selection is unrivalled, with 16 German beers on draught and 32 bottled. The kitchen serves well-portioned Teutonic favourites such as schnitzel, currywurst and schweinebraten. Things can still get "interesting" during Anglo-German sporting fixtures, but this convivial venue is a true wunder-bar.? 49-51 Black Prince Road SE11, +44 (0)20-7840 0426, zeitgeist-london.comSir Richard SteeleNamed after the co-founder of The Spectator, who lived on the site, this pub is more eccentric than Toad of Toad Hall's mad uncle. Random signs, stuffed animals and sundry knick-knacks cover every scrap of surface space, including the ceiling. The Steele perches on the well-to-do lower slopes of Hampstead, yet draws a surprisingly diverse crowd. This is very much an ale-drinker's pub, with four beers on tap, but fans of inexpensive Thai cuisine will also be cheered. Regular comedy, music and quiz nights fill the spacious upper bar. The pub is in the process of changing hands, and some locals fear the unique character may change. Visit now to be sure of catching this local treasure. ? 97 Haverstock Hill NW3, +44 (0)20-7483 1261Greenwich UnionWander away from the many tourist pubs in Greenwich and you might just chance upon the Union. Well stocked with beers from the nearby Meantime Brewery, this relaxed, narrow bar is popular with a young ale-drinking crowd. Chocolate and raspberry beers add a sense of fun, as does the playful British menu, with home-made pork pie and fish-fingers for dipping. Free Wi-Fi (a rarity in these parts) makes it a haven for home-workers and freelancers. On warm summer days, there are few finer places to bask than the pub's charming beer garden.? 56 Royal Hill SE10, +44 (0)20-8692 6258, greenwichunion.comThe Earl FerrersStreatham (or St Reatham, as aspirational locals increasingly have it) is a surprising "off-guidebook" place to find a decent drink, and The Earl Ferrers is among London's finest "local" pubs. Real ale is well represented, though wine lovers will have much to savour. In fact, the diminutive Ferrers gets everything right, from friendly service to well-chosen music. It even manages to squeeze a pool table into a side alcove. A varied programme of events, including a fiendish quiz and regular book club, raise this treasure of a pub to near perfection.? 22 Ellora Road SW16, +44 (0)20-8835 8333, earlferrers.co.uk06 St Chad's PlaceKing's Cross is in the middle of a cultural revolution. The former red-light district has changed beyond recognition as smart bars and restaurants move in. 06 St Chad's Place is a prime example, tucked away down a dingy cobbled alley that, 10 years ago, you wouldn't have touched with someone else's bargepole. The bar space is magnificent: a Victorian warehouse reworked in a distinctly Scandinavian style, with huge train-themed murals nodding to the site's rail heritage. Three centuries ago, Londoners flocked to the site to sup from the health-giving St Chad's Well. Today, it's populated by suits and office workers.? 6 St Chad's Place WC1, +44 (0)20-7278 3355, 6stchadsplace.comThe Palm TreeDespite the exotic name, this Mile End stalwart can only be described as a "proper East End boozer". It has stood in proud isolation ever since its neighbours were demolished by enemy action in the blitz. Time also stands still within. The furnishings are of another age ? golden brown wallpaper, red velvet curtains and that increasingly rare pub feature, a carpet. The clientele are an odd mix of young students and garrulous old locals. If you want a taste of the East End from the 50s (and, really, it could be the 1850s or 1950s), you won't find better.? Haverfield Road E3, +44 (0)20-8980 2918Princess LouiseAnyone seeking a taste of Victorian London should summon the nearest hansom cab to Holborn, which has an abundance of 19th-century drinking dens. The Louise is the jewel in the crown ? a temple of etched glass, bar lamps and wooden panels. A recent refit has somehow made the place feel even more authentic, with drinkers partitioned off into their own private spaces. The beer is cheap, too, this being a Sam Smith's pub. There's no typical Louise drinker; the central location draws in adventurous tourists from the British Museum, office workers and legal eagles from the nearby lawyers' district. Gentlemen should be sure to check out the period urinals, which have listed status.? 208-209 High Holborn WC1, +44 20-7405 8816 The HeightsThis place looks like a thousand other hotel bars up and down the country ? until you take into account its location: reached via a half-hidden lift in the lobby of St George's hotel. Perched 15 floors above Oxford Circus, the bar offers some of the best views of central London through its "wall of windows". It's also next door to the BBC's Broadcasting House, so you're almost guaranteed to see a minor celebrity or two. With a lick of paint and a fresher look, this could be a bustling venue, beloved of tourist guides. Let's hope it never happens.? St George's Hotel W1, +44 (0)20-7580 0111, saintgeorgeshotel.comThe Faltering FullbackHidden away in the back streets of Stroud Green in Finsbury Park, the ivy-covered Faltering Fullback is four pubs in one. The front bar is a welcoming if bustling horseshoe-shaped affair, well stocked with draught and bottled beers. A curious assortment of objects ? guitars, scarves, aeroplanes ? hangs from the ceiling. The back bar continues the theme, in a more relaxed way. You'd be forgiven for thinking the pub stopped there, but that's not the half of it. Double doors lead through into a surprise third space, where the mood is more raucous and focused around a pool table. A further set of doors leads out into London's most unusual beer garden. A bewildering series of stairs, gangways and terraces is reminiscent of the Ewok village from Return of the Jedi.? 19 Perth Road N4, +44 (0)20-7272 5834, falteringfullback.comLondonBars and clubsFood and drinkFood & drinkCity breaksTop 10sMatt Brownguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Airbus reveals its vision of flying in 2050
? 'Intelligent' cabin could offer panoramic views? Virtual golf and 'vitalising zones' planned? Flying in 2050 - in pictures? Vote: will ordinary people be able to afford it?A futuristic concept of air travel in which passengers will be able to gaze up at sunny or starry skies through a transparent cabin has been presented by planemaker Airbus .The concept cabin for travellers in 2050 would be a bionic structure that mimics the efficiency of bird bone.It would provide strength where needed, and also allows for an "intelligent" cabin wall membrane which controls air temperature and can become transparent to give passengers open, panoramic views.The cabin would have seats that fit passengers' body shapes and travellers might be able to read bedtime stories to their children back home, Airbus said.Showing off its concept cabin, the company also said that mid-century passengers might be able to enjoy a game of virtual golf or take part in interactive conferences, while the cabin "identifies and responds" to travellers' needs.The cabin of the future follows last year's unveiling of the Airbus concept plane, packed with technologies to reduce fuel burn, emissions, waste and noise.In the cabin concept, new personalised zones replace the traditional cabin classes.The "vitalising zone" helps passengers relax, with vitamin and antioxidant-enriched air, mood lighting, aromatherapy and acupressure treatments.In the "interactive zone" there are virtual pop-up projections taking passengers to whichever social scene they want to be in, from holographic gaming to virtual changing rooms for active shoppers.The "smart tech zone" is tailored towards the more functional-oriented passenger with what Airbus describes as "a chameleon-style offering, to meet individual needs ranging from a simple to a complete luxury service, but all allowing you to continue life as if on the ground".Airbus engineering executive vice-president Charles Champion said: "Our research shows that passengers of 2050 will expect a seamless travel experience while also caring for the environment."The concept cabin is designed with that in mind, and shows that the journey can be as much a voyage of discovery as the destination."AirbusAirline industryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Rescue crews rush to aid naked Irish solo adventurer
Filed under: Paddling, OceaniaThe headline was too horrid on so many fronts to pass up.
It turns out 29-year-old Irishman Keith Whelan, attempting to become the first of his nation to row solo across the Indian Ocean - despite as far as I can glean having little rowing experience, just naked ambition and a Twitter account - had been slapped by a big wave 128 miles off the coast of Australia, cracked his head on a protruding bolt and called for help. A cargo ship, the Fujisuka -- having nothing better to do -- diverted course, picked him up and delivered him back to shore at Bunbury, where he held ... drum roll ... a press conference.
How do we know all this? Thanks to his constant tweeting and blogging and the 24/7 reach of the global media.
Before we go any further with the story of this faux adventure, why oh why did he opt to row naked? According to his website it was "to avoid painful chafing from salt encrusted clothing." ("Having gotten into a rowing boat for the first time only a year or so beforehand, he will spend 110 days alone at sea, facing 50 foot swells, hurricane force winds and unrelenting sunshine ... and he'll be naked.")
Not to mention the attention the word naked still garners in headlines, Twitter feeds and Google searches.
I'm not suggesting the guy shouldn't be able to 'define' adventure in his own terms. With most corners of the world already explored in a variety of fashions, those who seek adventure are forced after a fashion to find new ways of doing them. People have walked up Everest on behalf of every imaginable disease, attempted long walks, long rows, long sails, etc., going forwards, backwards, sideways and upside down to try and draw attention to their pursuit. Whelan is hardly the first. (His charity is Keep A Child Alive, for which to-date he's raised about $700 ... out of a hoped-for $15,000).
Continue reading Rescue crews rush to aid naked Irish solo adventurerRescue crews rush to aid naked Irish solo adventurer originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
It turns out 29-year-old Irishman Keith Whelan, attempting to become the first of his nation to row solo across the Indian Ocean - despite as far as I can glean having little rowing experience, just naked ambition and a Twitter account - had been slapped by a big wave 128 miles off the coast of Australia, cracked his head on a protruding bolt and called for help. A cargo ship, the Fujisuka -- having nothing better to do -- diverted course, picked him up and delivered him back to shore at Bunbury, where he held ... drum roll ... a press conference.
How do we know all this? Thanks to his constant tweeting and blogging and the 24/7 reach of the global media.
Before we go any further with the story of this faux adventure, why oh why did he opt to row naked? According to his website it was "to avoid painful chafing from salt encrusted clothing." ("Having gotten into a rowing boat for the first time only a year or so beforehand, he will spend 110 days alone at sea, facing 50 foot swells, hurricane force winds and unrelenting sunshine ... and he'll be naked.")
Not to mention the attention the word naked still garners in headlines, Twitter feeds and Google searches.
I'm not suggesting the guy shouldn't be able to 'define' adventure in his own terms. With most corners of the world already explored in a variety of fashions, those who seek adventure are forced after a fashion to find new ways of doing them. People have walked up Everest on behalf of every imaginable disease, attempted long walks, long rows, long sails, etc., going forwards, backwards, sideways and upside down to try and draw attention to their pursuit. Whelan is hardly the first. (His charity is Keep A Child Alive, for which to-date he's raised about $700 ... out of a hoped-for $15,000).
Continue reading Rescue crews rush to aid naked Irish solo adventurerRescue crews rush to aid naked Irish solo adventurer originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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I Heart My City: Natalie?s Toronto
This week’s I Heart My City comes to us from Natalie Taylor, who writes the blog NearAfar. And what perfect timing! Our Digital Nomad, Andrew Evans, is exploring Toronto this week, and will be appearing at a @WheresAndrew Tweetup on tonight (Thursday, June 23), at Ciao Wine Bar, 133 Yorkville Avenue, from 5:30 to 7…
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Italian art in London
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Europe, Italy, United Kingdom
One of the best collections of Italian art in the world can be found in an unlikely place: a quiet street in the London borough of Islington.
The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is housed in an elegant Georgian mansion and boasts a comprehensive collection of Italian Futurist paintings. Futurism was a style born out of the havoc of industrialization and the carnage of World War One. It emphasized the speed and technological advance of modern society.
Typical of this style is Umberto Boccio's The City Rises, shown here courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This totally blew me away when I saw it at a special Futurist exhibition at the Estorick a few years ago. The people and buildings seem to be swept along by a windstorm of colored motion. It's currently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Other paintings show Futurism's trading ideas with Cubism, like Gino Severini's Portrait of Eric Estorick, the museum's founder. It's more a study of angles and shading than an actual image of a man.
It's not all Futurism here and the current exhibition, United Artists of Italy, is a collection of photographs of leading Italian artists. You can also get a taste of Italy at the cafe, where they serve up excellent cappuccinos (hard to find in London) and snacks.Italian art in London originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
One of the best collections of Italian art in the world can be found in an unlikely place: a quiet street in the London borough of Islington.
The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is housed in an elegant Georgian mansion and boasts a comprehensive collection of Italian Futurist paintings. Futurism was a style born out of the havoc of industrialization and the carnage of World War One. It emphasized the speed and technological advance of modern society.
Typical of this style is Umberto Boccio's The City Rises, shown here courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This totally blew me away when I saw it at a special Futurist exhibition at the Estorick a few years ago. The people and buildings seem to be swept along by a windstorm of colored motion. It's currently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Other paintings show Futurism's trading ideas with Cubism, like Gino Severini's Portrait of Eric Estorick, the museum's founder. It's more a study of angles and shading than an actual image of a man.
It's not all Futurism here and the current exhibition, United Artists of Italy, is a collection of photographs of leading Italian artists. You can also get a taste of Italy at the cafe, where they serve up excellent cappuccinos (hard to find in London) and snacks.Italian art in London originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The Radar: Italy Beyond Pasta, Travel the U.S. by Bike, JetBlue Discontinues ?All You Can Jet? Pass
Prosciutto in Parma, sea urchin in Bari, and formaggio in Venice. Explore the gustatory delights of Italy beyond pizza and pasta with this guide to cities and restaurants around Italy serving creative cuisine. [AOL] The U.S. Secretary of Transportation has announced that the Association of American State Highway and Transportation Officials will be adding new…
Ross Noble's Twitter tour of Britain
On his latest tour, the comedian put himself in the hands of his Twitter followers, who led him to tiny pubs, top pies, and an encounter with a very famous dogAs a stand-up comic I have spent much of the past 20 years travelling ? often the same bit of motorway, which for many leads to chucking in touring. Television work ? on the doorstep, often a short chauffeured drive from home ? becomes more appealing. But for me it's led to a passion for motorbikes.It all started when I moved to London and bought a 50cc pizza delivery bike. Ordinary trips were transformed from dull traffic-jammed routes to mini-adventures. Over the years I have tried to tour as much as possible on two wheels. The bikes have got bigger and the journeys longer. On one Australian tour a couple of years ago, I clocked up 26,000km going between 80 live tour dates.So was born the idea for a UK stand-up-on-a-sit-down tour. To give the trip a twist, I decided that instead of using maps and guidebooks, I would ask my Twitter followers (over 130,000 of them at the start of the trip) to suggest places to stop along the way.Fuelled up and ready to go I formed a vague plan with my mates Garrett and Billy ? to head east from Leicestershire, then south, travelling clockwise round Britain, ending back at the start a week later.As we set off I am beginning to think I might bond with the bike. As weird as it might sound, a motorbike can become an extension of you ? not in a feminist trousery way, but in a way I have never experienced with cars, where you sit passively in a metal box. With a bike if you lean, it leans; where you look, the bike goes; the more you relax, the better the bike performs.We set off towards the Twitter-recommended Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray, armed with a postcode and pig fat dreams. It is market day in Melton and I don't think I have ever seen so many old people pottering around one tightly packed area. It looks like a Saga reenactment of Nuremburg. We squeeze down the high street past a row of mobility scooters (a great photo opportunity, with us in full bike kit).A market trader shouts, "Hey Ross, what's with the bike outfit?" Where do you even start? I inform him that I get dizzy in markets and need helmet and protective clothing in case I fall.Past figurines of a meerkat holding a lamp! Where does a meerkat get a lamp? I get a mental image of packs of meerkats ripping a garden gnome apart and taking his stuff. I'm expecting to see another meerkat figurine holding a broken fishing rod and a bloody pointed hat. At Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe, I am given a demonstration in pie making from a genuine pie man. As I leave, loaded with pies, I thank the Lord I am not called Simon.Next the tweets recommend Britain's smallest pub, The Nutshell (thenutshellpub.co.uk) in Bury St Edmunds, where we're soon in a pub-come-cupboard under the stairs, with the one other regular, finishing our drinks quickly before someone wants to put their Hoover and brushes back.It seems the tweeters now think we are on a pub-crawl. We head down to meet sports commentator Steve Parrish and his girlfriend Michelle at their pub, The Queen Adelaide (queen-adelaide.co.uk) near Royston. A former bike racer and teammate of Barry Sheene turned Truck racer turned commentator, Parrish is everything you could want from a racing legend. Clearly a hooligan at heart, he is well-known for his practical jokes and regales us with stories of blowing up toilet blocks, doing stunts with hire cars, racing buses and planting explosive bags of flour in his mate's car.Heading south we stop at the Thruxton Motorsport Centre (thruxtonracing.co.uk), which offers racing car driving experiences, and where I'm to ride a race-prepared Triumph Thruxton. One of the corners on the circuit is called Nobles! Noble rides around Nobles on a Thruxton at Thruxton. Sadly due to lashing rain, the whole experience is at low speed in zero visibility. Can't win 'em all.We're on our way to Wales when a tweet comes in from a bloke working in a pet shop in Bridgend. As it's sort of on our way, we pop in unannounced. I often take my toddler to these stores telling her it's a mini zoo ? makes a cheap and effective day out for all.Cracking on to Welshpool we stop at the garage of a mate of mine who swaps the road tyres on one of the bikes for knobbly off-road tyres and I spend a couple of hours playing around on the side of a Welsh mountain before heading for Chester.The tweets are pointing us to what turns out to be the high point of the trip ? a candle shop. But this is no ordinary candle shop; this is Candles Plus (Lady Heyes Craft Centre near Frodsham, carolgeescandles.com) in Cheshire, run by none other than Bob Carolgees of Spit the Dog and Tiswas fame. Some retired performers wouldn't take kindly to some young comic turning up on their doorstep unannounced, but Bob is lovely. Showing us around the shop, he says the words which make my week, "Shall I get the lad?"He shoots off home and five minutes later returns with Spit the Dog. For some, travel is about museums, views, and mountain-top temples. For me, it doesn't get better than standing about in a candle shop chatting to Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog. We could stay all day, but we have a long ride ahead, to Edinburgh.Here quite a few Twitter tips are telling us about a bizarre wild west town in a back alley in Morningside. At first we think it is a wind-up, but then, through an archway, we see a mini Wild West town complete with Saloon and Jail, all housing small businesses. It was built in the 1990s as a sales area for a company that specialised in south-western style furniture.From here we ride to Alnwick, in Northumberland, to visit the castle (alnwickcastle.com), and finally back south. We clock up over 2,000 miles and I've loved every minute of it.? Ross Noble will auction the bike he used for his tour, a 1050cc Triumph Speed Triple, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (goodwood.co.uk, 30 June-3 July, �116 for weekend adult admission, or from �10-53 per day) on 1 July, to raise money for Riders for Health (riders.org), a charity that provides motorbike transport for medics to reach otherwise inaccessible parts of rural Africa. Follow Ross at twitter.com/realrossnoble Road tripsUnited KingdomMotorcyclingComedyEdinburghguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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